


Meltdown

by Anrheithwyr



Series: Love Letters to Shifting Lines [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Shifting Lines - Dovah Tobi
Genre: Angst, Gen, Mild Language, Severus Snape Being a Bastard, Violence, shifting lines
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:40:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27299629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anrheithwyr/pseuds/Anrheithwyr
Summary: The rumour mill at Hogwarts has always churned out some pretty outrageous stories, but Severus was not going to let the whispers of what Lupin did to his friend die down without making it clear where he stood on the matter.
Relationships: Remus Lupin & Severus Snape, Severus Snape/Lily Evans (one-sided)
Series: Love Letters to Shifting Lines [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948861
Comments: 4
Kudos: 9





	Meltdown

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DovahTobi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DovahTobi/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Shifting Lines - Book Two](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23003809) by [DovahTobi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DovahTobi/pseuds/DovahTobi). 



> This pulls from Chapters 96 - 98 of Shifting Lines Book Two by DovahTobi.

He wasn’t much of a breakfast person. Or rather, he wasn’t much of a  _ morning  _ person. Some would go so far as to argue that Severus wasn’t much of an anytime person, but those sorts of people would be someone like James Potter and his opinion very much did not matter, so who cared what he thought anyway?

But because he had not bothered to go down to breakfast that particular morning, Severus did not witness the spectacle that had swept through the Second Years before he was even in his first class.

And because of this, he found himself one of the few people to walk into class with absolutely no idea what was the cause of all of the whispers and giggles from his classmates, nor the strange looks from Silverlocke that made Severus want to shake the boy.

Of course, this was not the first time that Severus had considered shaking Silverlocke - or worse - but now, under the scrutinising gaze of his dormmate, he felt uncomfortable and agitated. Had those stupid Gryffindors managed to prank him in his walk between the dungeons and class?

How would that even be possible, though, when he was not in the same class as any of them nor seen them since dinner the previous night, when they had been acting like fools - which was, of course, entirely in character for them.

“Do you have a  _ problem _ , Silverlocke?” he hissed under his breath, hoping that no one would overhear him actually acknowledging the blond boy’s existence. The last thing Severus needed right then was having to deal with the other Slytherins giving him a hard time for appearing to associate with the likes of Silverlocke. 

“I -” Silverlocke sucked in his breath, his cheeks pulling inwards so that he looked rather skeletal, a strange expression for such a strange boy. “I was only wondering if you were perhaps aware of what Remus and Evans did this morning.”

“I  _ really  _ don’t care what Lupin or his mates get up to - wait, did you say Evans?” Severus nearly jumped out of his seat, mind fleeing to the thoughts of the million different things that Loopy Lupin might have done in Severus’ absence.

_ Why  _ he allowed Lily to be friends with such a - a - a  _ freak _ was beyond him. Lupin was  _ clearly  _ not normal, not with the way he kept just up and vanishing several times a year, supposedly to visit his ill mother or to treat his own illness, though Severus couldn’t help but be suspicious of the story. But beyond that, there was so much more that was simply  _ off  _ about the other boy. The intense stammer that made him nearly impossible to understand, the fact that he was smaller than most of the First Year girls, the way he followed after Potter and Black like a desperate puppy. 

No doubt Lupin was doing the homework of all three of his friends - there was absolutely no way three dolts like that were smart enough to actually get through the work themselves and Lupin was clearly such a pushover who would do anything for friends.

It was why Lily had taken to him in the first place, Severus was sure of it, because she was always in need of some sort of ‘project’ in the form of a person who needed fixing. It was why she had made friends - or at least attempted to - with all of the outcast children back in Cokeworth, why she kept trying so hard to maintain a relationship with her sister despite the extreme tension between them, and why she continued to keep up her attempts at tutoring that Muggleborn First Year, MacDonald or whatever her name was.

The reality was that Severus was the only friend she had who was actually  _ good  _ for her. Sure, there was Colgate and Inkwood, but they were still a couple of  _ girls _ and kept putting all sorts of nonsense into Lily’s head, undoing years of work on Severus’ end.

Severus had insisted more than once since their Sorting two years ago that the Hat had clearly made a mistake, that Lily was meant to be a  _ Slytherin _ , that she was too smart for Gryffindor - which was true, the House of Lions was so beneath her - but the further into their education they were, the more Lily seemed to fight him on what was so clearly an indisputable fact, to the point where they had recently had a massive fight over the matter.

And though he knew that he was ultimately in the right, Severus had apologised to her afterwards, promising to drop the subject entirely, though it did not stop him from stewing in silence. It was not his fault that Lily could not see that he was merely looking out for what was best for her.

It was at this point that he realised he had missed whatever Silverlocke’s response was, so caught up in his frustration, and he affixed his gaze on the blond boy once more, arching his eyebrows as he asked the other Slytherin to repeat himself.

“According to what I have heard, Remus and Evans were spotted kissing in the Great Hall this morning. I do not know how much stock to put into the matter in its entirety, but supposedly it was on the lips. I thought that perhaps, as Evans’ friend, you might know more information that I do.”

Severus realised that there were other Slytherins around who might have heard Silverlocke and come to the realisation that he was Lily’s friend - which, of course, he  _ was _ , but it was a dangerous matter, being friends with a Muggleborn Gryffindor, just one more reason why he would prefer she be in the same House as him.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Silverlocke,” he said through clenched teeth, jawline tightening as he turned his focus towards their professor, though internally he was fuming. “You must have misheard, I would  _ never  _ be friends with anyone like  _ Evans _ and I don’t care who she kisses either. She’s a dirty Mudblood and if she wants to spread her filth with the other Gryffindors, then more power to her.”

Silverlocke stared at him for several moments longer but did not argue with him, quietly moving his belongings to the empty seat on the other side of him, which was fine by Severus. He didn’t want to be seen  _ fraternising  _ with the likes of Silverlocke anyway.

Besides, he was far too busy plotting out his revenge. Who was Loopy Lupin to think he had any right to do that to Lily? Whatever his illness was, Lily was not  _ his  _ friend, she was Severus’ and Lupin had no right to her!

He had to make sure that message came across loud and clear.

X

An opportunity came to him quickly, thankfully, and it did not take him long to enact his revenge against Loopy Lupin.

It was the evening after when he laid things out in preparation. 

At first, he had considered doing something at the Valentine’s Dance but then realised that he would need a date just to get in and it was far too late to scrounge around for a last-minute partner to drag along, nor did he want to lower himself to such desperations. Besides, it didn’t take long to find out that Loopy wasn’t going either, so it would have been a waste of time anyway.

So he waited for classes to get out the following day to set his trap, knowing that the wisest thing to do would be to strike as quickly as possible.

During supper, he sat down next to one of the Slytherin First Years, the sort he normally wouldn’t have bothered himself with except that  _ obviously _ , he needed someone whom Lupin would not suspect in order to get the Gryffindor where Severus wanted him. 

“I need you to do something for me,” he told the boy, who jumped, dropping his spoon on the floor. Severus rolled his eyes but pushed onwards. “Do you know who Remus Lupin is?”

“Loopy Lupin?” the boy asked, brow furrowing. “Sure, I know who he is - I bet  _ everyone  _ knows who he is, he’s so weird. Why?”

“Good. So here’s what I need from you.” Severus leaned forward, whispering his plan to the younger boy, whose eyes widened as he listened until he looked like they might bug out of his head at the end. Finished, Severus pulled back, crossing his arms over his chest and looking the boy up and down. “Do you understand what I’m asking you to do?”

The First Year nodded, though he didn’t particularly seem excited about the idea of running errands for Severus like some sort of lapdog. Of course, Severus did not particularly care if the other boy was  _ excited  _ or  _ agreeable _ \- only that he would fulfil his end of the plan exactly as requested so that Severus could step in when his time came and exact his revenge against stupid Lupin.

As soon as he saw the four Gryffindor boys gather up their things from House table, he gave the First Year a shove on the shoulder, hissing into his ear, “ _ Go, do it now! _ ” and hurried from the Great Hall. He would not have an infinite amount of time to get into position and taking even a moment too long would spell total failure, not to mention a likely detention.

There was a storage room a little ways off from the Slytherin dorms that was mostly used to hold potions supplies and brooms - and the occasional handsy couple, though it was thankfully clear of anyone else that particular evening. He did not feel like wasting his very little time trying to chase off two older students from the area, nor would they likely listen to some random Second Year ordering them about.

And then the only thing left to do was wait, closing the door and turning off the lights, his arms crossed over his chest as he stood there in the darkness for his moment to pounce. As the minutes dragged on, though, Severus felt the doubt begin to creep in and he wondered if he’d made a horrible mistake.

Not, of course, about revenge on Lupin - the boy deserved it - but trusting a First Year to bring Lupin to him. What if the younger boy had simply remained in the Great Hall the second that Severus left, laughing at how stupid Severus was for thinking he would actually go through with the plan? Or if he had immediately run off to warn Lupin or tell a Professor and now Severus was waiting for Slughorn to come in and find him? That would spell detention for him without a doubt, and possibly even worse if he was unable to talk his way out of the situation, which was not always a given with Slughorn.

Sure, he was top of the class in Potions, but Severus had little connections, and even as a Second Year, it was clear enough to him that there were very few things that mattered more to their Potions professor.

But then he could hear the sound of footsteps and a young male voice saying, “In there,” followed by someone else responding, “Th—thank—thank you.” 

_ Lupin. _

The door to the closet opened with a creak and then, a small voice called out, “ _ Aegis _ ?” and Severus knew he had to move fast. With a wave of his wand, hissing the spell under his breath, Severus locked the closet door shut and in the next instance ran forward, slamming his body against Lupin’s so that he sent the smaller boy careening into the door.

There was a smashing sound and then a sharp cry, followed by the sound of Lupin falling to the floor.  _ Perfect _ . He was dropped down onto the ground, defenceless, and totally at Severus’ mercy.

"You—little—crazy—freak!" he roared at the boy, feeling a surge of confidence as he watched the dark form of Lupin scramble around in the darkness. It was nice to watch the boy be put in his rightful place, at least until he realised that Lupin was going for his wand. Moving quickly, he dropped the heel of his shoe onto Lupin’s outstretched hand.

There was the sound of bones creaking and breaking and he heard Lupin yelp, trying to pull back but finding that he was unable to as Severus refused to move his foot.

"You—absolute—wanker!" he yelled, grinding his shoe back and forth across the knuckles, relishing the sound of pressure laying down upon Lupin’s bones. No doubt about it, they were certainly broken now.

"Wh—pl—please—" the boy whimpered, but Severus only stamped his foot down one last time before pulling back, letting Lupin roll a little distance away, just out of reach of Severus’ shoes should he go in for a second round. 

"How dare you!" Severus demanded of him, but before Lupin could respond, he grabbed the smaller boy by the back of his robes, pulling him upwards. Lupin - the little worm that he was - began slipping from his robes, falling into a heap on the stone, but Severus only yanked him up once more. "If you ever do anything like that again you will regret it, Loopy! Got it?"

"I d-d-don't—I don't—I—wh—what?" Lupin stammered, which made Severus roll his eyes, digging the end of his wand further into the Gryffindor’s neck.

"You're so pathetic."

“I don't—what—what is—what are—wh-what—”

"Can't even talk.” He dropped Lupin, letting the boy fall in a puddle at his feet, but before Lupin could make any sort of move, Severus already had his wand trained on his nose. If Lupin wanted to play around with inventing his own spells then two could play at that game. He’d spend all of yesterday tucked into a corner of the library while everyone else was at the Valentine’s Dance. “ _ Nosuhamo _ !”

He knew what the spell was meant to do, even if he couldn’t exactly see the results in the dark. If he had done his research correctly, then Lupin should be feeling the sensation of a thousand little hooks sinking into the soft flesh inside of his nose, pulling outwards as though they were ripping his nostrils into every direction all at once. 

Judging by the awful noises that Lupin was making, his new spell was working exactly as intended.

After a minute or two - once he felt the message had properly sunk in enough - Severus released the spell, taking the opportunity to grab the front of Lupin’s jumper so that they were practically chest to chest. He leaned in, lowering his voice in the same way that his father always did when he was making it clear that he wasn’t  _ fucking around. _

“You ever kiss her again or ever try to infect her with whatever it is you have, you diseased little toad, consider this a light warning,” Severus said in a warning tone, making sure to give the smaller boy a vigorous shake for good measure.

“K—wh—kiss? N—no, I—not—no—it's not—we d-d-didn't—r—rumours—”

But Severus wasn’t interested in hearing his excuses or pretences; he had made his feelings on the matter loud and clear and it was on Lupin now to use what little intellect he had in that tawny head of his to know that the smart thing to do would be to take heed and give Lily a wide berth for the next five and a half years.

With that, he tossed the boy back onto the cold stone and swept from the room, waving his wand to slam the door shut behind him, though he at least left it unlocked. It would not do to trap Loopy Lupin inside the storage closet to be found in an hour or two by some passing Prefect or Professor so he could spill his story of attack before Severus could come up with an effective alibi.

Severus made his way back towards the Slytherin dorms, barking the password at the entranceway and making his way down the stone steps that led into the Common Room. Though he no doubt looked half-mad at that moment, with his hair askew, breath coming in excited little bursts, and an uncontainable smile pulling at the corners of his mouth, Severus found it difficult to care.

He had achieved what he set out to do - revenge on Lupin for thinking that he had the right to be so close to Lily, for thinking he had the right to be so  _ normal  _ with her in a way that he did not deserve. Revenge for  _ forcing  _ himself on Lily, because it was clear to Severus that in no rational world would Lily willingly agree to kiss - or initiate it herself! - someone as pathetic and diseased as Loopy Lupin.

Ignoring his fellow Slytherins, he headed towards the Second Year boys’ dorms, which was empty save for Aegis Silverlocke, reading a textbook on his bed. He briefly glanced up at the sight of Severus but, seeing the wild look in the dark-haired boy’s eyes, wisely chose to simply bury his head back in his text, leaving Severus to drop onto his own four-poster, closing his eyes and imagining a reality where it had been  _ him  _ who had given Lily her first kiss, as she so rightfully deserved.

Lupin might have stolen  _ that  _ from him, but Severus would be damned if he would let the other boy take anything more.

Over Severus’ dead body.


End file.
